Whispers that talk show legend Oprah Winfrey was scheduled to take the stage at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night were proven to be true as she energized the crowd in Chicago with her appearance.
"We are Americans. Let us choose loyalty to the Constitution over loyalty to any individual because that’s the best of America. And let us choose optimism over cynicism because that’s the best of America. And let us choose inclusion over retribution. Let us choose common sense over nonsense because that’s the best of America," Winfrey told the DNC audience.
She received some of the loudest applause of the night when she talked about what she believes is at stake in the 2024 presidential election.
"We won’t be sent back, pushed back, kicked back, we are not going back," Winfrey said.
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The media mogul attempted to send a unifying message, which has been a theme of the convention, but she also didn't shy away from criticizing
the Republican presidential ticket.
"When a house is on fire, we don't ask about the homeowner's race or religion. We don't wonder who their partner is or how they voted," Winfrey said. "No, we just try to do the best we can to save them. And if the place happens to belong to a childless cat lady — well, we try to get that cat out too."
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It was the first time the famous TV personality has spoken at a political convention — and she did it from one of her home cities, Chicago, where she hosted her long-running "Oprah Winfrey Show."
Winfrey endorsed then-Sen. Barack Obama during his 2008 presidential campaign, though she did not speak at the convention that year. On Wednesday night at the DNC she endorsed Kamala Harris, who is running to become the first Black woman elected president of the United States.